


Tea For Six

by aurora_chiroptera



Category: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie
Genre: Fluff, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 05:41:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18565078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurora_chiroptera/pseuds/aurora_chiroptera
Summary: Sometimes, there are moments to rest and have something like a tea party.ro2sid exchange prompt: spider mech tea party





	Tea For Six

**Author's Note:**

> For the ro2sid exchange! 
> 
> cassyblue on tumblr gave the prompt Spider Mech tea party, which is just. Amazing. I hope I did it justice!

The mech carefully set the table. The ship was docked, so there was little need for the mechs to much work. Tic was used to them moving actively in the back of his mind though, the thoughts were so second nature that it didn’t seem odd to have the mech making tea, as he sat watching.

The tea set was fragil, and had some chips. These were not because of the mech, the soft hairy legs gently able to hold the cups, but merely because the set was second hand. The hiss of hot water was the loudest noise in the room; hardly a clink of porcelain sounded. Another mech came scurrying in on the ceiling, dropping beside the first to begin preparing the leaves.

The tea was an export out of the strange new power off of the Radch, the Republic of Two Systems. It had taken years for trade from the Republic to make it into the rest of space, with the embargos that the Radch tried to put in place and with the fact that a good portion of the leaders were AI and know one knew quite what to do with that. But money and goods were something everyone seemed to understand and there was something rebellious in drinking the Daughter of Fishes.

The new mech took a specially wrapped, more expensive kind of Daughter of Fishes Tic has purchased for a day with plenty of downtime. Placing the tea in a transparent, glass teapot that didn’t match the cup set, the dried leaves appeared to bloom into the shape of a flower. The mechs both stopped to watch this, eye stalks leaning close, and Tic received the input from them as well as what he was seeing and smiled.

Garal wandered in then, being followed by another mech, a fourth riding on eir shoulder. E sat at the little table with Tic and both mechs took their places on either side of em.

“Tea?” Garal asked.

“I thought we could have it here before going to get noodles,” Tic said, looking eir way. All but the first mech was at the table now, and the first went around setting a tea cup in front of each of them. Tic was nudged by a mech beside him and gave it a pat behind its glittering eyes. 

“As long as we’re still getting noodles,” Garal agreed, wrapping eir hands around the cup in front of em. 

“I wouldn’t dream of keeping you from them,” Tic chuckled. Eir relaxed state never ceased to please Tic. It was nice to have someone else feel so at home on his ship.

The first mech carefully picked up the tea pot, examining it by extending a few eyes stalks once more. It tapped one of its legs against the glass. Seeming satisfied, it went and poured out the tea for everyone around the table. One of the other mechs put its leg into the cup and seemed pleased by this by closing its eyes.

Garal started to smile, picking up eir cup and blowing on it. Taking a sip, e looked thoughtful before nodding. “Is this why the Radchaai are so snobby about their tea?”

Tic shrugged, taking a sip of his own. It was slightly bitter at first, but then flavor spread over his tongue that was both sweet and earthy. “I don’t know I still prefer...”

“If you mention that salt water crap, I am leaving and getting noodles without you,” Garal warned, pulling a face. E moved the cup closer to one of the mechs beside em, who had extended all of its eyes to examine both its own and Garal’s tea cup.

Tic chuckled again, and continued to sip his tea. They all sat in silence, the smell of tea filling the air and the warmth of it filling (or on) their bodies. It was a moment of pure indulgence, so rare in space, and Tic held onto, on being able to be here with Garal, sharing in the sensations of the mechs. It was home, one he had made for himself and one that Garal had fit right into.


End file.
